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  • The President's Words: Speeches and Speechwriting in the Modern White House
  • Ashlyn Gentry
The President's Words: Speeches and Speechwriting in the Modern White House. Edited by Michael Nelson and Russell L. Riley . Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2010; pp ix + 310. $39.95 cloth, $24.95 paper.

This book is the result of a June 2008 symposium on presidential speechwriting at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs. It begins with Michael Nelson's brief history of presidential speechwriting as a profession. A particularly strong contribution is Nelson's division of the White House speechwriting history into three eras: "the rise of the rhetorical presidency and the professional speechwriter (1901-1933), the era of the speechwriter-adviser (1933-1969), and the current era of the speechwriting specialist, which began in 1969" (2). This recognition of the differences across the profession's history is a consideration perhaps noticed in passing by a number of scholars, but one not verbalized until now. Nelson provides a useful account of each era's defining characteristics, and a succinct rationale for each period's transition.

Sidney M. Milkis contributes the concluding chapter, issuing his perspective on speechwriting's consequences for the rhetorical presidency. Milkis reviews the constitutional changes in presidential power as catalyzed by the rise of the bully pulpit. The chapter reconceptualizes Jeffrey Tulis's argument that the rhetorical presidency may have unfavorable consequences for American democracy by considering the function and formalities of speechwriting as new and integral components of this equation.

Between Nelson's and Milkis's contributions are eight chapters. Four of these outline particular genres of presidential oratory: the acceptance address, the inaugural address, the state of the union, and the crisis speech. Following [End Page 578] each of these generic chapters is the transcript of a discussion among scholars and former speechwriters about the respective genre of presidential speech. The transcripts, which are highly readable and well edited, reveal a great deal of inside information about the genres addressed and the represented administrations. The questions posed by the scholars in attendance solicit valuable answers. From these, readers come to know about a variety of concerns, including the role of polls in speech-crafting, the use of narrative, limitations posed by technology and time, anticipating crowd responses, the domain of speeches in campaign strategies, speechwriters' relationships with other staff or departments, and myriad other issues that may help scholars to better understand the possibilities and limitations of speechwriting.

The chapters penned by the scholars outline each genre's purpose and history in anticipation of the questions asked and answers provided in the respective transcripts. Martin J. Medhurst presents the functions and purposes of acceptance addresses, the sources of rhetorical invention that speechwriters frequently turn to, and the style of acceptance as determined by the rhetorical "tokens" featured (37). Charles O. Jones approaches the inaugural address with a concern for "effectiveness," determined by a clear transition from the campaign to governing, or a clear definition of a future course (106). Kathryn Dunn Tenpas also turns to the success of a speech by considering poll data as a measure of victory, and outlines a four-part drafting process for a state of the union address. Lastly, Andrew Rudalevige speaks to the ways in which policy and prose are one and the same in crisis events, and examines five case studies to illustrate how administrations make different uses of speechwriters in those special circumstances. One interesting point to note is the variety of methods each of these scholars use in detailing the basics of each genre. Whereas some pursue purely rhetorical reflections, others utilize quantitative data to buttress their arguments. This reflects the breadth of research options available for pursuit in the study of presidential speechwriting.

This book's strength is in its appeal for both academic and nonacademic audiences. The explanatory chapters serve as obligatory introductions for nonacademic audiences, and those versed in presidential rhetoric will note echoes of generic studies such as those in Karlyn Kohrs Campbell and Kathleen Hall Jamieson's Presidents Creating the Presidency: Deeds Done in Words (2008). They are undoubtedly valuable and contribute new perspectives to a growing body of...

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